The Daoist stepped onto the floating stairs. They were solid and steady, and had not the slightest tremor.0 But the Daoist turned his head back and looked at the cat behind him.0 “This will take quite some time again. Lady Calico, you should know what you’re supposed to do, right?”1 The cat behind him had just been about to step forward and follow. Hearing his words, she stopped, sat down on the spot, lifted her paw and began to lick it. While licking, she glanced sideways at him before finally replying, “It’ll take quite some time meow?”0 “Then I will take good care of the horsey and the swallow!”0 “And also take care of yourself.”0 “And you should continue to train diligently, practice your spells, and of course,” Song You added after a slight pause, “the most important thing while doing all that... is still to take good care of yourself.”0 He glanced into the distance.0 “If you miss the fox and her tail,” he said, “you can go look for her and try.”0 “I do miss the fox!”0 This time, the calico cat’s tone was much more certain. The Daoist smiled. Lady Calico already knew what missing someone meant.0 “I will train seriously,” the cat said solemnly, sitting upright with her head tilted up at him. “I’ll also study hard, learn spells, read and write, memorize poems and songs… And if I get something tasty, I’ll cook it for you to eat.”0 “Thank you.” The Daoist then turned his gaze to the swallow and said, “I don’t have too much to remind you, just remember to keep practicing the thunder arts. The Beheading Sword is a treasure, so make sure you train well with it.”1 “I will remember your advice, sir.”0 With that, the Daoist withdrew his gaze, turned, and began walking upward. He ascended the floating steps, spiraling around the central pillar.0 The cat and the young swallow remained below, each of them looking up at his figure, growing smaller as he climbed higher and higher.4 At last, he reached the top of the tall platform. This was the highest point in the entire Ghost City.0 The Daoist sat down cross-legged.0 The Five-Element Spiritual Resonances rose into the air on their own, circling around him like five meteors of different colors. The jade bottle of Four Seasons Spring began to pour forth of its own accord, and its spiritual waters merged naturally with the Five-Element Spiritual Resonances beginning the creation of something new.0 The moment the Five-Element Spiritual Resonances were gathered, their profound nature had already created a strong urge to merge, an impulse that the Daoist had forcibly suppressed. Now, once the restraints were lifted, the resonances began to entwine, clash, and fuse together almost entirely on their own, without requiring the Daoist to do anything.0 This was a process that followed the flow of the Great Dao itself.0 The Four Seasons Spiritual Resonance joined in just as naturally, blending into the process and creating a perfect harmony of rhythms.0 The Daoist reached out with one hand, and spiritual energy from the world outside the mountain surged inward.0 Then with a wave of his other hand, it was as if a window had opened in the sky above Mount Ye's Ghost City. To the spirits and ghosts below, it seemed like the heavens had torn open, but all the light, and the essence of sun and moon, were gathered and drawn toward the stone platform.0 There was a sound, yet not a sound.0 It felt like the trembling of heaven and earth, or the hum of the Great Dao itself, something that could almost be heard with the ears, and yet also felt in the soul.0 The Five-Element Spiritual Resonances spun faster and faster, until their original colors and forms were indistinguishable. All that could be seen was an intricate tangle, a fusion into one. The Four Seasons Spring surged into the mix with astonishing volume and limitless spiritual resonance, yet the moment it entered, it vanished from sight.0 The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the essence of the sun and moon, gathered ceaselessly, forming the symphony of a new world's birth.0 Perched atop the stone pillar, Song You found himself disoriented. He could no longer distinguish direction, could not sense the five elements, and the flow of seasons, the changes of yin and yang, all blurred. He did not know where he was, whether spring had passed or autumn had come. Time and space themselves seemed to slowly drift away from him, only to be gradually reformed anew.0 This process felt like the rebirth of a world, and an endless, profound mystery. It was the visible manifestation of the Great Dao, the evolution of law and order, and the reshaping of the origin.0 The Daoist sat calmly in meditation, silently comprehending it all.0 This was the great cultivation, the great fortune that countless ancient powers had dreamed of, an exceedingly rare chance to gaze directly into the nature of the universe. Even for Song You, it was likely the only opportunity of his entire life. Perhaps it was Heaven’s reward for someone who had created such immense merit: by letting him witness the birth of a small world, he could glimpse the truth of the grand one.0 The spiritual resonance spread, and the mysterious rhythm extended outward from the high platform to the Ghost City. From the Ghost City, to the entire spatial domain it resided in.0 Amid this haze of profundity, the Daoist truly lost all sense of the external world—its time, its space, its spiritual flow. And when his senses gradually returned, they no longer belonged to the old world, but to this new small one taking shape. Yet within this mystical haze, the Daoist suddenly heard a sound, the sound of a guqin.0 It was a melody of divine skill, so refined it touched upon the mysteries of the Dao itself. But unlike before, this music did not come from somewhere below the platform.0 Its origin was unknown; it sounded like it was from somewhere far away, perhaps even farther than before. At times, it was tranquil and serene; at others, light and ethereal. Then suddenly, it turned mournful, steeped in sorrow.0 Even if Song You opened his eyes, he could see nothing but only the boundless profundity of the Dao.0 Suddenly, a faint fragrance drifted in the air. It was a deep, lingering scent that touched the heart.0 The fragrance was sweet but not cloying, light yet not faint. Refined with a trace of coldness, it was the scent of wax plum blossoms, also known as yellow plum.0 It must be winter already. Yet just as the floral scent faded, not long after, somehow, another wave of fragrance drifted in again.0 Around Mount Ye, there were a thousand mountains, and among those mountains, a thousand lakes. This was Lady Calico’s paradise.0 Autumn was lovely, and the mountains were brimming with ripe fruit.0 There were all kinds of fruits and countless varieties. They ripened at different times, but just enough to overlap, so she was never without something to eat.0 Unfortunately, every time Lady Calico picked wild fruit and brought it to the high platform to offer to the Daoist priest, things turned out differently each time.0 Sometimes she couldn’t ascend and had to wait below. Waiting and waiting, she would fall asleep midway up the floating stairs, and by the time she woke up, the fruit had rotted.0 Other times, she managed to reach the platform—whether by accident or fate—but the scene above was always different. Often, the sky was invisible, the path unclear, and even standing at the edge, she couldn’t see what lay below. Naturally, she couldn’t find where the Daoist was. After she descended, the swallow would sometimes tell her she’d only been gone for a moment; other times, it would say she’d been up there for days. After a few times , the swallow tried to persuade her not to go again.0 But of course, not going simply wasn’t an option. Because sometimes, she really could find the Daoist.0 She would place the fruit before him, but when she returned the next time, it would still be there, untouched and uneaten, rotting away. If no one ate the fruit, then it was meaningless.0 Winter was nice too, as it was perfect for fishing.0 Lakes were everywhere here, and no one fished from them. Lady Calico loved to sit by the water, casting her line while reading a book, practicing her spells, or dueling with the crane demon inside her flag.0 A whole day would pass like nothing.0 When it was over, she’d take the fish, roast or boil them, bring them up the high platform to find the Daoist priest, and place the food in front of him, hoping he’d wake and eat.0 But the result was always the same.0 Spring was even better. It was not too cold, not too hot. The mountains were covered in green grass, all life awakening, with butterflies and insects fluttering wildly among the blossoms. The little cat would frolic through the flowers, chasing bugs for fun. Besides butterflies and insects, there were rabbits everywhere. Rabbits loved this season, and Lady Calico loved rabbits.0 Summer wasn’t bad either. Summer here wasn’t too hot, so Lady Calico could ride her horse to distant towns to shop. She bought sweet fermented rice soup, sugarcane to munch on, and even planted some on the mountain to share with the fox and her tail.0 If it really got too hot, she would take the Water-Splitting Blade to the lake to catch fish and shrimp, just in time for a bath as well. But the Daoist still hadn't come out. This time, it seemed even longer than the last.0 Studying and cultivating oneself must never cease; fishing and hunting must not be neglected; cutting grass to feed the horses and playing around are also daily necessities. Every few days, she would summon the crane demon for a bout. When she got really bored, she would go chat with the swallow or the fox and her tail. But the swallow didn’t like to talk, and the fox’s tail was never the same each time. Still, if she didn’t mind these things, the days were actually quite pleasant.0 Lady Calico had always been good at taking care of herself.0 Unknowingly, another winter had come. It rarely snowed on Mount Ye.0 Heavy snow blanketed the ground, and all the trees had shed their leaves. Lady Calico wore a rain cape and a wide-brimmed hat, holding an extra-long fishing rod as she sat properly by the lake and fished.0 The swallow had said they might be staying here for quite a while this time, so she temporarily put away her compact travel rod and switched to a much longer one.0 Thunder rumbled in the distance.0 Lady Calico turned to look. It was the swallow practicing thunder magic in the distance.0 There were too many ghosts here, and ghosts feared thunder, so the swallow had to practice far away.0 Behind her stretched a snowy forest with snow covering the ground, and withered trees standing silently. Amid them, a crane was slowly stretching its neck and spreading its wings, as if about to take flight, or perhaps just lazily stretching.0 The crane raised its head and exhaled a puff of white mist. It really did seem like an immortal’s breath.0 But this crane was far too large...0 Its body seemed even taller than the distant treetops. Especially when it lifted its head, that long neck easily rose far above the trees.0 “Just because I always summon you out to fight doesn’t mean I don’t like you. Actually, I like you a lot. Look at me, I even let you out to play often. No other demons get treated like that.” Lady Calico said while holding her fishing rod. “If you listen to me, I’ll treat you well.”0 The crane ignored her. It had long since died, and its soul and spiritual resonance were housed within the flag. Even its physical form was shaped by Lady Calico’s spiritual energy, so it could not go far.0 “...” This crane just wouldn’t listen to her.0 Lady Calico sat by the lake, thinking and reflecting for a moment, before continuing, “The reason I like you isn’t just because you can fly, it's also because you’re beautiful. You’re powerful, and also very smart. The reason I want you to listen and let you out each time isn't only because I want you to take me flying, it's also because I like how pretty you are, and admire how powerful and clever you are.0 “Right? I’m so small that an ordinary big eagle could grab me and fly away. I’ve seen other cats get taken by hawks before. Mmm… There aren’t many demons in the banner as strong and smart as you!”0 The crane demon still acted as if it hadn’t heard her. Leisurely, it stretched its massive body, then bent its neck to preen its feathers. After a while, it trotted a few steps forward, flapped its wings with a burst of wind, lifted its huge yet graceful form off the ground, skimmed the lake in a low flight, and then landed again.0 “Next time, take me flying, okay?”0 “Flap flap flap...”0 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ Nove1Fire.net At some point, the thunder in the distance had stopped. The swallow flew over, landing on a withered branch in the snow. Gazing downward, it carefully listened to the little girl and the crane demon talk.0 “Well? Why aren’t you saying anything? If you don’t speak, that means you agree! I just know that you’re not as awful as you usually act!”0 “...” The swallow’s beady black eyes turned, showing a somewhat amused expression.0 He had thought that since Song You had great matters to attend to, he might not hear conversations again for a long time. But unexpectedly, Lady Calico had inherited a bit of that spirit.0 Only, the crane demon was extremely proud, and not so easy to fool.0 The swallow kept his head lowered, eyes fixed on them. When Lady Calico looked up toward him, he quickly pretended nothing had happened and turned to preen his feathers.0